Description

Santa Cruz's R AM Complete Mountain Bike kit contains the perfect mix of Shimano SLX and XT components, along with Fox, Avid, Race Face and WTB, in order to permit one of the lowest-priced ways to experience its new 27.5in-wheeled platform. With this component package, you retain all of the thoroughbred quality that you expect from Santa Cruz, only with a little more coin leftover at the end of the day. And like the R AM kit, the long-awaited 150mm-travel Bronson turns a completely new page for Santa Cruz, delivering all of the advantages of larger wheels, without any of the detractors.

If you spend any time lurking mountain bike forums, you're well aware of 'tinkerers' jumping the 27.5-gun by stuffing larger wheels under everything from Hecklers to old Nomads. And while we're all about innovation, a quick review of the Bronson's geometry versus, say, a hacked 27.5in rig, quickly reveals why we'll take a production bike over unorthodox experiments any day of the week. And tellingly, this scenario solidifies why the wait for the Bronson has been well worth it.

For example, a Nomad, theoretically, riding on 27.5in wheels would have a ridiculously high 14.75 inch bottom bracket and a stand-over height exceeding 30 inches. And unless you're a giraffe/human hybrid (image search that one if you're ever bored), your boys are going to have a bad time, not to mention that it'll handle like a box on donks. The Bronson, on the other hand, has a 13.6 inch bottom bracket height. That's lower than the current carbon Nomad (14in), nearly matching the Blur LT (13.8in), and only a fraction of an inch higher than the Tallboy LT (13.4in).

Its stand-over height, at 28.8 inches, is also lower than all of those bikes, and the goodness doesn't stop there either. Another key measurement is chainstay length, and the Bronson measures in at a highly respectable 17.3 inches. This is slightly shorter than the Nomad, a half inch shorter than the Tallboy LT, and only a fraction of an inch longer than the Blur LT. When all these geometry values are accounted for, it's pretty obvious why the Bronson is the Syndicate’s first choice for the 2013 Enduro World Series.

With geometry putting the Bronson on track to achieving trail-bike perfection, Santa Cruz gave it a heavy dose of its hydroformed aluminum mastery and its lauded VPP suspension to seal the deal. The light and strong hydroformed aluminum front and rear triangles are shaped and butted to place more material where it's needed. This ensures an ideal balance of both strength and stiffness for charging aggressive lines. But, that strength isn't going to hamper your climb to the top. In fact, because of the hydroforming of the tubes, Santa Cruz eliminated any excess weight.

It also provides the chassis integrity for VPP to perform at its best. The VPP rear-suspension on the Bronson utilizes patented, counter-rotating shock links to allow for a variable feel throughout the suspension travel. When sag is set correctly, the Bronson is extremely responsive to small- and medium-sized bumps. For larger hits that push it deeper into its travel, it becomes more stubborn, a necessity to avoid harsh bottom-out. It's also a crisp, efficient pedaler, even in the small chainring. Another big plus of VPP suspension is its durability. Rear motion is handled by a lightweight and custom-tuned Fox Float CTD Evolution. Its three-position Climb, Trail, and Descend lever lets you select an appropriate amount of platform damping for the terrain that you're riding.

The front end of the Bronson complements that shock with a 150mm travel Fox 34 Float CTD O/C. This fork features an open cartridge damper for lower aeration in order to provide a smooth and consistent ride quality. It's equipped with a 15mm through axle and a 142 x 12mm at the rear. The wheels are comprised of Shimano M678 hubs that have been laced to WTB ST i23 TCS tubeless rims, and they've been cased with Maxxis High Roller 2 EXO Tubeless Tires.

Turning the rear wheel is a Shimano Deore triple crankset, an SLX 11-36T cassette, and a 10-speed HG-74 chain. For gear selection, there's a SLX Shadow+ rear and a XT front derailleur that're controlled by Shimano SLX shifters. These shifters share handlebar real estate with Avid's powerful Elixir 5 hydraulic disk brakes, which have been spec'd with a 180mm front and a 160mm rear rotor. The handlebar is a Race Face Ride which is supported by a Truvativ AKA stem, and the seatpost is a Race Face Ride, as well, with a WTB Volt Race perched atop of it. The Bronson has guides for a seat dropper and ISCG05 tabs in case you want to make future upgrades.

The Santa Cruz Bronson R AM Complete Mountain Bike is available in four sizes from Small to X-Large and in the colors Gloss Black/blue and Gloss Grey/blue.

Why is the brake set listed as Avid Elixir...

Unfortunately Santa Cruz's build specs are subject to change at any time. You have picked out a rolling change that they have made on this particular build. They started specing this bike with Avid Elixir 5's, but then moved to Shimano Deore brakes. Sadly, there is not an efficient way to tell specifically which brakes are on the color/sizes that we have currently. If you are interested in this bike, please feel free to contact our customer service department at 888-276-7130 and they will be able to assist with which brake spec we have in stock.

Where can I buy this bike. in New...

I have great news Jorge, we definitely can ship this bike to New York. Feel free to hit up one of our Gearheads by phone or chat and we can put that order together for you and get you the best shipping options possible.